Tokyo, June 5, 2009 — Mitsubishi Motors Corporation today, on World Environment Day, unveiled the production version of the i-MiEV *1 *2 new-generation electric vehicle (EV), describing it as "the pioneer that will open the door to the next 100 years of our automobile society." The i-MiEV will go on sale on the Japanese market in late July of this year.

The i-MiEV represents the realisation of 40 years of electric vehicle development at Mitsubishi Motors. The company is presenting the production i-MiEV as the ultimate eco-car, a solution to the various challenges the automobile faces today including environmental pollution, global warming and the depletion of petroleum-based energy supplies. The company will continue its extensive collaboration with both private and public sectors in Japan and overseas in developing infrastructure to promote ownership of EVs.

Mitsubishi Motors expects to distribute, on a maintenance lease*3 basis, some 1,400 i-MiEV models in fiscal 2009 principally to corporations and to local authorities. The company plans to start sales of i-MiEV to individuals in April 2010 and will start taking orders in late July of this year.

*1 MiEV: Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle
*2 i-MiEV : For the full production model a hyphen has been added to the name by which the advance experiment and proving models have been known.
*3 Maintenance lease: A lease in which the monthly payments include some of the taxes, insurance and maintenance costs.

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand managing director John Leighton’s comment regarding Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s release of the iMiEV electric car.
“New Zealanders were some of the first in the world to experience the potential of the i MiEV. During the month we had the vehicles on trial, the public’s response and that of the government and media was very positive. We are now working very hard to secure some of the few thousand vehicles that will be sold globally next year.

“At this stage the price for Mitsubishi Motors Corporation export markets is unknown and there is already huge demand from Mitsubishi distributors worldwide.”

For more information on the iMiEV click here